Allison LandaReseñas

An interesting memoir of a young woman with Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia. She has the misfortune of being raised in a deeply dysfunctional family, so did not receive the help she needed until full adulthood. The memoir plumbs the depths of her isolation and the toll that trying to keep secrets takes. Too repetitive in many places but I appreciated gaining some insights into this condition.

"Bearded Lady" chronicles the early life of a young woman that has hursutism excessive hair growth on the face and body of a female. Her family is dysfunctional, while her mother shows her how to shave the excess hair as if is quite normal while her father refers to her as a freak. As a child, she is diagnosed with the condition, but she doesn't receive any treatment. (As a reader, we don't know why), At school she is ridiculed, but takes it in stride, while she continues to shave her face several times a day. As an older teen, she tries laser hair removal, with disastrous results. While working for a newspaper, she meets a young man with whom she is romantically involved. She tries to hide her condition from him, but when they become intimate the truth reveals itself. He says he loves her just as she is, but she can't shake the feeling of self-consciousness she feels because of it. After discussion with her, then fiance, she decides to see a doctor again and begins hormone treatments in addition to finding a reliable laser hair removal specialist. The book is at time sad, comical and really a reflection of anyone who has something they are self conscious about and the lengths they will go to disguise it. The story jumps in time from her youth back to adulthood, but that does not take away from the message of the book. Not a feel good book, but certainly a good novel.½

Wow. I could not put this book down. It is very well written and while the author describes her own struggles with hirsutism, she somehow describes the struggles we all face as humans. I completely connected with her and couldn't help but root for her as she faced the demons of her upbringing and the daily question of "am I enough". She is enough, she is wonderful, strong, witty, and brave and I lover her for sharing her story.

Bearded Lady is a memoir about a woman with hirsutism, excessive hair growth caused by hormonal abnormalities. The story follows Allison from her preteen years when the condition begins to her late 20s. Through this time she has learned to live with her condition and find acceptance and love. Her difficult family situation adds to the struggles she faces. The story was painfully honest and very relatable. Regardless of what ones personal struggles are, we can all relate to the pain of confronting those struggles through our teens and learning how they affect our identity in our 20s. I loved the raw honesty of Landa's story and her courage to give the reader a peak into her world. I was drawn in to the story and did not want to put it down.

This memoir is written by a woman who has hirsutism, excess facial hair, receding hairline and other physical problems. The author is very open and honest about the many issues she had/has dealing with this, especially as she was growing . She appears to be a very strong woman and has a very good writing style.

A painfully honest memoir of a woman with an endocrine disorder. Unfortunately, this is made worse by her emotionally abusive mother! As a preteen, the author begins growing a stubble and tries all methods of ridding herself of it. Even when it has a medical diagnosis her family does nothing. Daddy has left Mommy, Mommy has a boyfriend and the author is kicked out of the house. Eventually, accepting herself as she is and finding the love of her life who accepts her as she is, she stumbles across a successful treatment. It is ironic that it is after she accepts herself and as another loves her the way she is that she finds the solution. The writing is excellent and honest, the story is painful but then redeeming. A good read.